The Soul Stealer

ght of the winter, Mr. Eustace Char

g snap in the air which sent the well-dressed people who were b

liant with luxuries, the tall commissionaires who stood by the heavy glass

morning in Bond Street when everythin

lowly up the street. But his manner in reply was rather languid, and his clean-shav

ght blue in colour, not very direct in expression, and were beginning to be surrounded by the fine wrinkles

status a man accustomed to move in good society, though probably mo

s and perfumer's, passed through its revolving glass doors and bowed to a stately young lady with wonderfully-arranged co

e said easily and in a pleasant

l answered, "he's quite ready f

said, with his hand upon the door whi

arliewood. But you're looking

th his glove which h

iss Carling. It's the price one has to pay,

red, wagging a slim finger at

he saloon and mounted some thick

nd other journals were lying. Beyond, another door stood half open, and at the noise of Mr. Charliewood's entrance a short, clean-shave

harliewood took off his coat and collar and sat down upon

hinting at that and growing a little thin upon the top. The whole face, distinguished as it was, bore an impres

iled to think that in an hour or so he would be turned out very different in appearance by t

ening up" gentlemen who were living not wisely but too well, incidentally performing many other services for his clients. The masseur pushed a wheeled pedestal up to the side of the chair, the top of which was a large oct

ubbed some sweet-smelling cream all over his face

and the masseur brought the machine in his right hand, which looked no

es a minute and pounding and kneading the flesh, so swiftly and silently that Charliewood felt nothing more than a faint

or and began to screw a larger and differently-shaped

brated gently through the nerves. New animation had come into the blood and tissues of the tired face, and already tha

a saddle-shaped electrode, and I'll go up and

operator applied straight and angular strokes of the rapidly vibrating instrument up and down

this is one of the best things I've ever struck! In the old days one had to have a small bottle of Pol Roger about half-past eleven if one had be

to me every day at all hours. My appointment book is simply filled, sir, filled! And no gentleman need be afraid now of do

he ante-room once more. During the time while he had been massaged another client

e looked up languidly as Proctor helped Charliewood into his fur coat. The first arrival hardly noticed him, but bade the masseur a

a Mr. Charliewood who looked younger in some indefinite way, who walked w

Mr. Charliewood's club in St. James's Street, a small but well-known estab

tered. A waiter helped him off with his overcoat, and he turned into the smoking-room to look at the letters w

nd a Parascho cigarette between his lips he seemed the pers

r Miles Charliewood, of King's Lynn. Some people said that Eustace Charliewood was not received by his family; there had been some quarrel many years before. This rumour gained general belief, as Charliewood never seemed to be asked to go down to his father's place for the shooting, or, indeed, upon any occasion whatever. There was nothing against Eustace Charliewood. Nobody could associate his name with any u

he manage it?" the general opinion being that his father and elder bro

tion of lunch. As the waiter would often remark to his underlings, "It's always a pleasure to do for a gentleman like Mr. Charliewood, because he gives real thought to his meals, chooses his wine with

le with mushrooms, a grilled kidney and a morsel of Camembert. That will do ver

t the eye of a tall, young-looking man with a silly face and very carefully dressed. This was young Lord Landsend, a peer of twenty-one su

om his table and came o

tor down to Richmond this afternoon, just t

a telegram upon a silver tray. He opened it, read it, crus

I've just had a wire making an

ed as h

, prodding his friend in the shoulder with a

o his place, and Mr. Ch

d read it with a slight frown and an anxiou

this afternoon

desb

gh and a shake of the head that his pet member did not seem to enjoy his food to-day. "Which is odd

of the moving panorama of the streets through which the gondola of London bore him swiftly and noiselessly. His face wore a sullen and rather troubled expression, not at all t

passed into history and so become recognized by the crowd. But there are other celebrities who are popular and known to the "Man in the street." Sir William Gouldesbrough belonged to the latter class. Everybody knew the name of the famous scientist. His picture was constantly in the papers. His name was a household word, and with all his arduous and successful scientific

l combination, he was not only an investigator of the lesser known attributes of electricity who could be ranked with Tessler, Edison, or Marconi, but he was a psychologist and pathologist of European reputation. He was said by those who knew to have probed more deeply into mental p

He was often at his house, they were frequently seen together, and the re

ety people could not understand how Mr. Charliewood cared to spend his time with a man who took life seriously and was always bothering about stupid electricity, w

on, and both Sir William's and Mr. Charliewood's most intimate friends had spent many ple

t look happy. He threw his cigar away with a petulant gesture, and watc

trung, despite the efforts of the morning. Then he took a cheque-book from his pocket and turned over the counterfoils

ick wall which encircled a large house of red

was somewhat unusually high, while the only means of entrance was a g

iewood's ring, and a man-servant of the dis

r," he said. "Sir W

gravel path towards the portico of the house

indows, with their white frames and small panes, were set in mathematical lines down the fa?ade, a flight of stone steps led up to the square pillared porch, on each side o

rns stood upon marble pedestals. There was a big leather couch of a heavy and old-fashioned pattern, and a stuff

, which showed that it was surrounded by a gallery, up to

le club in St. James's Street, and the brightness and glitter of the centre of the West E

r gentlemen in knee-breeches and powdered hair coming silently out of this or that ponde

he study, sir?" the butler sa

moned need not be unduly prolonged. But with his hat and umbrella in his hand he crossed the h

at the end of which was another door. This he opened a

friend was sitting in an arm-chair

attitude, and the chair in which

s slightly raised from the ground upon a

rise to see that there was something

rtion of the scientist's body, and with a muffled expression of surprise, Mr. Charliewood saw that Sir William was wearing a sort of helmet, a curved sh

ugh!" he said in uncontro

rned and held up one hand,

own to the public was fixed and set into attention, an

remained held up,

ss to understand what was going on. The tremor of his nerves began again, his w

uddenness, he experi

electric bell, like the sudden alarm of a cl

jumped whe

at clicked, and lifted the heavy metal cap from it. He placed it carefully down upon the writing-ta

said. "Glad to see